Confessions of a WhitelighterWitch
by The-Cheese-Fairy
Summary: Oneshot. Ever noticed the significant lack of PaigePiper sister moments? Paige and Piper have a long awaited sisterchat. Paige finally opens up. Piper finally gets the chance to play big sister. D


Hello there faithful readers, and newcomers to the horrifying world of Laur! (That's me…but I think you've guessed that…) This is nothing to do with 'A Life of Magic' (that's my other fic, for those of you who aren't familiar.) Anywho, I do not own Charmed yadda yadda yadda. If I did own Charmed, we certainly wouldn't be seeing Botox Man (…Dex) this season, and Paige would have something which resembles a plot, but that's another story!

This story is inspired by my extreme annoyance towards the lack of Paige/Piper sister interaction! So if you're a fan of sister fluff, stick around:D It takes place after 'Imaginary Friends'. Enjoy and Review… **or suffer my wrath**...

…kidding!

This story is dedicated to my 'Charmed' family: Jess, Ally and Ross. They helped a bit with this :) You guys **_ROCK_**!

PS. I haven't proofread. Forgive the repeating of words!

**Confessions of a Whitelighter-Witch**

Piper pushed a stray strand of her sleek, dark hair behind her ear and let out a happy sigh. Her doe brown eyes, full of joy and fulfilment, gazed silently at the sleeping forms of her boys. Chris, so small and innocent, was yet to experience the cruel world of dark magic she knew he would inevitably face. She thought briefly of the son who had come from the future almost two years before. The memory of his handsome face still tugged at her heart, but she knew she would never let her son's life end the way future Chris's had- the visit from her other son's future self had confirmed that. Even hours after he had returned to his own time, Piper could not get Wyatt out of her mind. A large grin spread across her face as she turned to face the bed in which her eldest son slept. The blue 'Thomas the Tank Engine' covers moved in time with Wyatt's steady breathing and, as always, Wuvvy sat at Wyatt's side. Piper's beaming smile almost turned to a scowl when she looked at the bear: Leo had taken a very long time to convince her to let Wyatt keep it. But nothing was going to lift the good mood Piper was in tonight. For the first time since Piper could remember, the future seemed bright. She had the two most perfect little boys she could ever have hoped for, the love of her life by her side, and two sisters who were sharing the same immense happiness she was… Or so she thought.

Silently closing the door to her boys' room, Piper let out yet another sigh of content. She walked down the corridor with a skip in her step, pausing for a brief moment to check on her younger sister. Phoebe's door was already ajar. Piper leant gently upon the doorframe and peered into the crack in the door. Her broad grin turned into suppressed laughter when she caught a glimpse of her sister. Phoebe, dressed in a pair of grey sweatpants and a loose-fitting pink vest-top, complete with headphones in her ears, was prancing across the cream coloured carpet in very exaggerated lunging movements. Her right hand, raised into the air, was clicking, and with each click Phoebe would pout her lips and nod her head. Her left hand slapped her thigh in between each click of her fingers and her hip-wiggling seemed very out of time with the rest of her 'dancing'. It was when Piper realised Phoebe was standing in front of her wall mirror that Piper could no longer keep her laughter silent. There were some things that, even in the privacy of your own bedroom, should never be done.

"Goodnight, Phoebs." Piper whispered with a giggle, turning from the room so not to endure anymore of her sister's humiliation.

Piper's hair, wavy from the pigtails she had just removed, swept her back as she began to saunter down the corridor towards her other sister's bedroom. Still snickering at the thought of Phoebe's dancing, she slowly turned the doorknob which led to Paige's bedroom. Squinting through the intense darkness which enveloped the room, Piper noticed the drawn curtains and Paige's clothes strewn over the floor. She shook her head with a smirk; even at twenty-seven years old, Paige didn't fold her clothes before bed. Piper had given up on lecturing her a long time ago; she had learned to accept it was part of Paige's charm, no pun intended.

"Goodnight, Missy Paige," She whispered into the darkness. "Don't let the bed bugs bite." And she pulled the door shut, failing to notice the shards of glass on the ground, surrounding an overturned picture frame.

Succumbing to her craving for hot chocolate, Piper made her way down the Manor's staircase. The whole house was dark, but for the warm glow coming from the kitchen. Piper's eyebrow rose in curiosity; she was certain she had turned off the alcove light. Apparently in all the excitement of her good mood she had forgotten to, but Piper knew it was very unlike herself. Still, the walked towards it with her head held high, a smile still spread on her face. What was one silly slip of the mind? Forgetting to turn off a light wasn't going to dampen her spirits.

Deciding that her number one priority was her hot chocolate, she opened the fridge with more force than required. She was surprised at her own passion for life. She could barely remember the last time she had been so happy that opening the fridge gained her full enthusiasm. Letting out a giggle at her own good humour, Piper grabbed the milk from the fridge door and, almost doing a pirouette turn leaving her facing the other direction, the eldest Charmed One, imitating Phoebe's dance moves, closed it with a shake of her bum.

She placed the milk on the counter and was on her way to search for a mug, when a small chill swept past her ankles. She stopped in her tracks and tilted her head to one side in curiosity. Her gaze swept past the window and she was not surprised to see it was closed. But that left only one place for the breeze to be coming from: the back door. Then who had opened it; who was in the alcove? She knew she had left Leo sleeping in bed and she had checked on both of her sisters before coming downstairs…

Cautiously, with her hands out in front of her to fend herself from any demonic attack if need be, she approached the small laundry room. She scalded herself for not realising the laundry room door had been ajar when she entered the kitchen, and for being so stupid as to not lock the back door… But that was just it. She knew she had locked the back door because after she had done it Paige and herself had locked Phoebe in the alcove, insisting that she shut up about her future child.

She pushed the door open with her foot quietly, hoping to scare an unsuspecting attacker by jumping out on them. But when her eyes came to rest on who was sitting in the dimly lit room, her hands fell to her sides at the same time as her eyebrows flew up. _Paige?_

She sat on the doorstep, a soft breeze blowing her bangs off of her face and out of her eyes. Her head rested on the chipped, antique doorframe and her tousled hair fell limply onto her back, which was hunched and gave Paige's usual graceful form a slightly awkward and frail look. Her shoulders were raised and her arms, bare, due to her sky-blue spaghetti strap top, were covered in goose pimples. She was trembling; her whole body seemed to shake, but Paige seemed to be ignoring her own discomfort. Her chocolate brown eyes were transfixed on nothingness as she stared out into the empty darkness of the back garden. They were raw and red and still brimming with fresh tears, but Piper was almost scared at how vacant they looked.

She was in the process of opening her mouth to talk when Paige began to move. She lifted her right hand slightly to reveal, what seemed to Piper like, a rather unusual object to be holding when in such a distressed state. Her baby sister's limp arm became stronger as she shook the small snowglobe, causing the glitter within the glass shell to fall onto the miniature New York City. As Paige watched the 'snow' fall, her tears fell too. She still hadn't noticed Piper in the doorway behind her.

"Paige?" Piper's soft whisper snapped the whitelighter-witch from her trance. Her sorrow filled face became awash with panic when her muscles tensed in fright and the snowglobe fell from her hands.

"No!" She gasped, here swollen eyes widening in alarm. The glass dome froze centimetres from the stone step and the panic left Paige's face. The grief, however, returned. She mumbled a barely audible "thank you" as she clasped her hand around the holiday souvenir Piper still did not understand the significance of, and then shifted her gaze away from Piper's.

"Paigey," Piper began again, her voice still soft and full of worry. "What are you doing down here?"

Apparently, Paige chose to ignore the question. She shifted uncomfortably and bowed her head, causing her already fragile appearance to become accentuated.

"_Paige?_" Piper's voice was firm this time. She took a step towards her youngest sister and placed a concerned hand on her shoulder. She was slightly taken aback when Paige shrugged it off.

"What?" Paige replied bitterly, shuffling forward on the doorstep, still not raising her head.

Piper's brow furrowed as she edged further still towards Paige. She couldn't understand why her sister could be so distressed. Paige was finally getting the hang of her whitelighter duty- future Wyatt had even told her she was great at it; as far as Piper could see Paige's life had no flaws enough to make her this upset. But something _was_ most certainly making her upset. And Piper was determined to help her baby sister through it. "What's up?"

"Oh, y'know?" Paige replied, finally raising her head, "Just thinking…"

"Oh?" Piper enquired, not wanting to sound too pushy. "About what?"

Paige gave a melancholy sigh and, placing the snowglobe on her lap, she wiped the remainders of hot tears from her eyes. "About what a gaping void of suck my life is."

"What?" Piper couldn't contain her surprise as she lowered herself to her knees. Again, she placed her hand on Paige's shoulder but this time her sister did not push it away. "Sweetie, why do you think that?"

"Because it's true!" She snapped back.

As Paige made to get to her feet a loud clunk caught Piper's attention. At first she was certain her little sister had dropped the snowglobe she had been so protective of and was ready for Paige to cry out in panic, but when Piper saw the trinket clasped, once again, in Paige's hands her forehead knitted. With a sharp turn of her neck, her eyes fell to the step on which her sister sat and her jaw dropped. Lying feet from Paige's foot was something Piper had never expected. It was rolling at a snail's pace down the back garden. The label was coming loose of the green glass and from neck of the bottle the infinitesimal remainders of red wine trickled out, leaving a small trail behind it.

"…You've been drinking?" Piper's voice almost caught in her throat as she failed to look her sister directly in the eyes. "Paige, what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that maybe, for once in this house, I could get a moment to myself!" Paige stood, Piper followed. Paige had a considerable height advantage over her sister but it was Piper who appeared the strongest. No matter how piercing her glare was, the youngest Charmed One's usual fierce, resolute facade had been removed.

"Paige, please tell me what's wrong…" Piper decided the gentle 'big sister' approach was going to be more tactful than yelling, but the fact Paige had been drinking was making panic course though her veins. Not once in the three years she had known her youngest sister had Paige drank a single drop of alcohol. Now, however, it appeared Paige had finished at least three quarters of a bottle of wine.

"Piper," Paige replied. Her voice had lost its edgy tone, but still held a hidden plea for comfort. "There's _nothing_ you can do to help me. Just leave me alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Sweetie. You're my sister: it's my job to try and help you." She grabbed Paige's arm firmly, but with a loving touch. Paige had other ideas.

"I don't _want _your help!" As a flurry of orbs began to envelope her, Piper's jaw clenched. She couldn't let Paige orb out alone when she was in the state she was in.

"Oho!" Piper scoffed, "Two can play at the stubborn game, Missy." She said, leaping forward into the cloud of blue and white lights which fluttered to nothingness as the two sisters were transported from the manor.

**xxxxx**

Paige gave a sigh of relief when she rematerialised. She let her eyes close and she tilted her head back, breathing deeply through her mouth and enjoying the bitter cold of the night air brushing her skin. Opening her eyes, she glanced around her. The skyscraper was not the most scenic of spots but Paige had been coming here ever since she could remember. It was one of the few places in the city the youngest Charmed One knew would provide her with the glorious view of the stars she so desperately needed: An escape into the never-ending fantasy they created.

"Where the heck are we?"

Pop. Piper's voice burst the emotional barrier Paige had created around herself in the few brief moments she had been gazing into the night sky. Paige turned round so quickly that her neck gave a disconcerting crunch. Her eyebrows were knotted and her lips, free of the lipgloss which usually coated them, were pursed into a very unamused scowl. Her eyes glared daggers into her sister and when she spoke it was as if she was spitting poison.

"Why the hell- how the hell are you here?"

"I believe we once called it 'jumping an orb'." Piper replied, not letting Paige's glare affect her.

"You what!" Paige narrowed her eyes and flung her left hand to the side in extreme frustration (her right still clasped the snowglobe).

"I jumped your orb, Paige." Piper repeated, unable to find the right words to say to her sister. She finally had the opportunity to play 'protective big sister' to the person who had been so resistant to let her anywhere near her heart, but words were failing her.

"Why?" Paige's heated tone completely left her voice when she looked into Piper's face and asked the simple question. In fact, it sounded almost confused.

"Because I-" Piper stopped. She couldn't find words. What words could describe the concern she had for her baby sister? How could she express the worthlessness she felt when she was unable to help someone she cared for?

Paige's stare didn't move from Piper's face as her big sister struggled to form a reason. She felt the edges of her heart begin to shatter and anger began to bubble in the pit of her stomach. Piper didn't have a reason- of course she didn't have a reason!- why would anyone care about Paige?

"Y'know what?" The youngest Charmed One said, biting her bottom lip to prevent it from quivering. She clenched her fist and took a stabling breath. The alcohol was now in full flow in her system and her rationalising brainpower seemed to have flown out of the window. She turned from her sister and began to walk away. Ignoring her own discomfort at walking over the helipad in, flimsy, yellow, Care-Bear slippers, she continued to walk. "Screw it. I don't care."

"Paige-" Piper called after her. Paige did not turn round.

Piper stood for a moment in silence. Her hands were placed awkwardly in the pockets of her loose fitting combats and she rocked uncomfortably on her feet. Her hair blew back from her face with the nighttime breeze and the brutal chill of the air was beginning to give her goosebumps. Her eyes were slowly clouding over with tears, but they never left Paige. She watched her sister cross the rooftop and take a defeated seat against the wall opposite where they had orbed in. The whole time Piper's mind raced with thoughts of how to comfort her… But she didn't know how.

Moments later, however, the eldest Charmed One found herself marching across the top of the building with a determined frown spread across her face. Her delicate features which, so little time ago, had been full of joy and exuberance, were now grimacing in an almost defeated expression. Piper wasn't defeated yet, though. She was determined to help Paige if it was the last thing she did.

"You know what?" She spoke, stopping when her feet, similarly dressed in fluffy, red, Eeyore slippers, met Paige's feet. "You are way to stubborn for your own good, Missy." She folded her arms and cocked her head to the side, and for the first time that night made eye contact with her sister.

Paige let out a disbelieving grunt and threw her hands into the air, but the eye contact remained. "Oh, _I'm _stubborn? What the hell do you call yourself, Miss 'I'll jump my sisters orb even when she says she doesn't want my help'?"

"Oh yeah?" Piper's eyebrows shot up ad her hands flung out to the side in a gesture very similar to the one Paige had just made. "I guess stubbornness is a family trait then, huh?"

"Well it's not a very flattering one." Paige replied. Her defensive stance fell and her shoulders sank, but still eye contact remained between the two Halliwells. "When I said I didn't want your help, I meant it…"

"Paige," Piper replied in a hoarse whisper. She gulped back the lump she felt forming in her throat and continued to stare into her sister's eyes. They were so empty; red from tears and full of the most beautiful hazelnut brown Piper had ever seen, but they were void of something Piper knew should be there; they were void of love. "You can't keep hiding yourself from me like this."

"Yeah, well you didn't seem to care that I've made a pretty good job of it for the past three years."

"Don't you think it hurts me to see you like this?" Piper snapped. She sank to her knees so that the two Halliwell sisters were at the same level. The eldest of the two let her face fall and her eyes brim with tears. Her aggressiveness left her as she placed her hand on Paige's knee and she began to speak in a gentle voice, full of care and concern. "You're my baby sister! I care about you more than you will ever know. Do you have any idea how worthless I feel when you shield yourself from me like this? I am here for you whenever you need me, yet you seem so resistant to open up. I hate that you don't talk to me. I hate that I can't comfort you! But what I hate most of all is that you don't even give me the chance to! I know I suck at being the oldest sister, but I could help you with so much if you just allowed me to. Give me a chance, please? Tell me what's wrong…" As her voice trailed off Piper was amazed at the huge weight that had just been lifted off of her heart. She hadn't planned what she was going to say but it had seemed as if once she had opened her mouth the contents of her heart had poured out. She hadn't even realised it herself but she had been waiting to say that to Paige for a very long time.

Paige was dumbstruck. It took a moment for what Piper had just said to sink in. When it did, the trickles of hot saltwater, which were already fighting their way down Paige's cheeks, became a heavy flow of tears. The youngest Charmed One bowed her head and focused hard on the floor, trying not to let Piper see the small trace of a smile which came to briefly pass her lips. Piper's words had touched her heart. "…You don't suck," She whispered before letting a heavy sob escape her. It was time to give Piper that chance.

Piper shifted uncomfortably on her knees as she watched Paige's reaction. At first she looked pained, and then shocked, and before Piper could register the next emotion to cross her sister's face, Paige was sobbing. Piper's immediate reaction was to pull Paige into a comforting embrace but she hesitated, unsure of how the weeping whitelighter-witch might react. And then she did something she had never done before. Placing her initial caution to one side, she moved towards her baby sister and wrapped her arms around Paige's crying form. This was her chance to give Paige the comfort which, not only did Paige need to receive, but Piper needed to give.

To Piper's surprise, Paige hugged her back. The youngest Charmed One's grip on her sister was unusually tight, but this gave Piper a greater feel of affinity. Piper's arms created a protective hold around Paige. She put more love into the cuddle than she had ever given any of her sisters; her desire to prove to Paige that she was willing to help was the only concern she had greater than actually helping.

"So much for waterproof mascara, huh?" Paige said when she finally lifted her head from Piper's shoulder. She let out a muffled laugh through her bashful grin. Piper let out a similar laugh, looking into Paige's face. Her eyes no longer contained the barrier Piper had seen in them before. Finally, her defences were down; finally, she was letting Piper in.

"So…" Piper began, using her thumbs to gently wipe the tears from her sister's face.

Paige gave a melancholy sigh and sank back against the wall. Her free hand pushed her thick dark hair behind her ears and she nervously bit her top lip. Still not answering, she placed the snowglobe between her legs and lightly patted the ground beside her, inviting Piper to take a seat.

"Pull up a log." Paige said, steadying her voice with a deep breath.

Piper shuffled to the patch of concrete ground which Paige had just indicated she sit on. When both sisters sat side by side there was a brief awkward silence. Piper began to nervously run her fingers through her hair, as Paige left her hands to play with the snowglobe on her lap. For a moment it seemed as though they would remain in the silence forever, but it became too awkward for Piper to handle.

"What's up?" She asked; with her simple words the tension lifted.

"What's up?" Paige repeated in contemplation of how to answer. Her hands fell limply to her sides and she tilted her head backwards. "Besides my depression and induced blood alcohol?"

"Ha ha, Paige: Very funny." Piper replied with a roll of her eyes. She looked at her sister, whose gaze was firmly fixed on the sky above her. Despite the peculiarity of the situation they had found themselves in, Paige looked unusually comfortable in her surroundings. "Where are we, anyway?"

"Down Town." Paige replied vacantly. When she heard Piper begin another question she quickly continued with what she was saying. She needed Piper to know she was willing to talk and opening up freely seemed like the best was to do so. "I used to come here a lot. When I was really little we lived in one of the apartments across the street. The neighbours decided to set off fireworks one New Years and my dad took me across here to watch them… Mom had a fit!" She paused to give a nostalgic giggle before continuing. "But ever since then I've had a sort of fascination with this place. I mean, other than Twin Peaks it's the only place in the city you can see the stars from." She finished with a reminiscent sigh and Piper looked to her sister to find that she was smiling.

"…The stars?" Piper enquired. With how upset her sister had been earlier, this was the last thing Piper had expected Paige to be talking about.

"Yep," Paige replied simply. "The stars." She stopped gazing skyward for a moment to look into Piper's face. "They're sort of like my…escape." Piper's brow knitted and Paige immediately read her questioning expression. "From reality, y'know?"

Piper nodded and, in synchronised timing, both sisters turned their heads towards the night sky. The astounding beauty of the sight before her eyes made Piper realize that her trashy romance novels paled in comparison to what her sister used to escape. The sky was beautiful. Her eyes seemed to see for centuries as she gazed into the open, diamond encrusted mass of night. The black, velvet blanket was like the gateway into another world and the glistening of the tiny golden pinpricks only made the view more enticing. Paige was right: it was an escape.

"Wow," She sighed in awe. She turned, once more, to face her sister and found that Paige's smile was slowly becoming a saddened one. Concern immediately engulfed her again and she moved to hold her sister's hand in a comforting gesture. "Paige?" She asked, "What exactly is it you're escaping from?"

And with a simple word, Piper never felt the need to comfort her sister more. "Everything." Paige silently turned to face Piper and she began to breath heavily. She took a brief look at her surroundings and spoke again. "You know…it was actually here that all my problems started…"

"What?" Piper enquired suddenly, "How?"

"Well…" Paige gulped in hesitation and slid her hand from Piper's before answering. "It was here that Shax attacked me after Prue's funeral…"

Piper narrowed her eyes in interest. Did that mean magic was the source of Paige's problems? "What do you mean?"

"Well," She began, "I guess that before magic came into my life I felt like I actually had a future! I had a job, a boyfriend, a _life!_"

"Paige, you still do have a future…" Piper replied in confusion. She had been sure Paige was happy with her life. "I mean future Wyatt confirmed that!"

"That is precisely _it!_" Paige snapped heatedly. "He confirmed what a shithole my life is going to become!"

"What!" Piper was shocked now. How could Paige think that?

"Do you think I _want_ to be a super-whitelighter? Wyatt may as well have had a sign nailed to his forehead which said 'Phoebe, you will have a child'! And you, you saw how much he loved you! You know you're going to raise two beautiful boys! Me? I get to be the _freaking whitelighter_!" With her end statement she aggressively slapped her knees and gave a small grunt of annoyance.

Piper had never thought of it like that before, but Paige almost had a point… "Missy, you don't know that being a whitelighter is all that you will amount to! For all you know you could live in a countryside mansion, happily married with four kids and a pony!"

"But what if I'm not? What if my entire destiny is to be a whitelighter? I don't want that!"

"Paige, I swear you'll never be unhappy. Even if you are a whitelighter forever, you will also be cool Auntie Paige forever! You'll always have Phoebe and Me. You'll always have a place to come for Christmas!" Piper's light attempt at humor clearly failed, as Paige looked to the ground remorsefully.

She looked ready to say something, but Piper could tell she was hesitating. With a gesture of her had, Piper indicated that Paige should continue. Hesitantly, Paige did. "…Sometimes I just feel like I don't belong with you guys." Paige had tears running down her delicate cheeks now. The whole time she had been talking, at least one of her hands had remained on the snowglobe, either absently shaking it or just clasping it. But now one of her hands was wiping her eyes and the other was trembling beneath the hand which Piper had just placed there.

"Sweetie, we're your sisters. Of course you belong with us! What makes you feel like you don't?" Piper leaned in close to the whitelighter-witch and her face fell. She knew that when she had first encountered Paige she had been reluctant to accept her, but now she was sure Paige felt like a true part of the family.

Paige could barely contain her tears now. She bowed her torso forward slightly and closed her eyes. The hand which had been wiping her face was now resting on her knee and, aggressively, she jerked her other hand from underneath Piper's. Looking up, with tears in her eyes and a bitter expression on her face, Paige prepared to tell Piper the reason. "You…" Even with the one word, Paige's voice was poisoned with sorrow. Slowly and quietly, Paige continued, but her voice seemed hoarse as she held back a sob. "…you've never told me that you love me." She jerked her head away from her sister's gaze and let her tears fall, leaving Piper in a stunned silence.

The eldest Charmed One's mouth hung open and, as she repeatedly opened and shut her rich brown eyes, they began to cloud over with tears. She let her hair fall over her face and her hands sat in vain on her lap. She couldn't register what she had just heard. The words seemed to echo in her mind, reverberating off of every crevice of her soul. Had she really never told Paige- her own sister- that she loved her? She wanted to tell Paige there and then, but it seemed highly inappropriate.

Amongst all her shock and self-disgust, Piper found herself questioning the reason for her not telling Paige. She did love her, didn't she? Yes. There was no doubting that. Perhaps Paige's reluctance to tell her anything had been clouding Piper's ability to open up. Her heart suddenly felt tight. Paige had questioned her welcoming into the family because of Piper's own idiocy. How could that have happened and Piper had never noticed?

"I…" She eventually spoke, furrowing her brow and, with freshly dampened cheeks, her face stiffened. "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't be." Paige replied with a half-hearted attempt at an apologetic smile.

"Don't be?" Piper repeated in disbelief, "Paige, I must be the wor-"

"Piper!" Paige interrupted, raising her hand into the air, "It's okay. I understand… I guess I always figured that since I replaced Prue you could never really love me like you loved her…"

"Bu-"

"Let me finish. I know I'll never be as great as Prue was; and I know I'll never take her place, but the thing is I don't want to. I guess on some level I always hoped that after three years you'd accept me for being me… I guess I'm just not sister material."

"Paige, don't be so ridiculous!" Piper gasped. Her sister was still facing the opposite direction, but Piper was determined to get Paige's attention. "Look at me." She said firmly. Paige did not comply. "Paige, look at me." Reluctantly, the youngest Charmed One turned to face Piper. Her reddened cheeks were moist and more droplets were threatening to spill over her eyelids. She bit down hard on her bottom lip and appeared to be trying tremendously hard to stop herself shaking, but she was finally looking at Piper. "I do _not _want you to be Prue! You are Paige, okay. _Never _think that you have to be anyone else: Not for me. Not for anyone. I know that after she… after she died it may have seemed that I wanted you to replace her, but in the time I've known you, you have become just as important in my life!" Piper found that she was crying too, now. Her voice shook as she spoke and she could feel a large lump forming in her gullet. "You are your own person; You're Paige Matthews, whitelighter-witch; the best damn one out there, too! You have a passion for life that I can only admire! And you're the best damn baby sister I've ever had!"

The awkward silence came again as both women wiped their own tears from their faces. They failed to notice that they both sat in the foetal position with their heads tilted downwards allowing their hair to hang loosely over their faces, as if blocking out the world around them. Paige was the first to look up this time. Piper, sensing her sister's movement tilted her head to the side too. As they sat, peering through their curtains of hair to look at each other from the corners of their eyes an eerie quiet settled on the city. It was as if the world had stopped. No cars made a sound and no overhead seagulls called out through the night, but the sisters did not notice.

Paige noticed Piper looking at her and she allowed a playful smile to twitch at the corners of her lips. What Piper had said was certainly making her feel better about herself, but she couldn't help but hear the final part of Piper's speech replaying in her mind. "Better than Phoebe, huh?" She said, biting down on her tongue impishly.

Piper's cheeks flushed pink in amused embarrassment and she shook her head, removing the barrier of hair from her face. "You know what I meant!" Piper slapped her knees and leaned against the wall once again, allowing her deep gulp of cool night air to calm her.

"Oh, so I'm _not_ as good as Phoebe!" Paige replied in offence. Piper looked panicked until a grin spread on her baby sister's face. "Kidding!" She giggled.

The sisters let a bout of laughter pass over them. It was an unusual feeling to be laughing after their emotions had been rushing so intensely, but also a relaxing feeling. Paige let her hand find Piper's during her amused chortle and Piper gave it a comforting squeeze. When the sisterly giggling finally stopped, Piper stuck out her bottom lip and blew upwards so that her bangs were blown from her eyes. The act was one of relief; relief that they had both managed to get so much off of their chests. Paige, however, did not look tremendously relieved. Although she was smiling and still clutching Piper's hand, with her free hand she lightly shook the snowglobe, which had been placed on the floor for the past few moments.

Hoping that the moment of happiness Paige had just felt was going her to have no defences left, Piper decided to let curiosity get the better of her. She squeezed Paige's hand to get her attention and eyed the snowglobe inquisitively.

"What is that, anyway?" She asked, nodding slightly.

Paige's face fell. Apparently there was more bothering her than Piper realized…but what on earth did it have to do with a snowglobe? "Come on Piper," She replied, rolling her eyes. "I think even you in you 'non-existent normal life' would have seen a snowglobe!"

Piper decided to continue in a more sarcastic way. If that was how Paige wanted to play it, Piper would play it that way too. "You're mean when you're drunk." She said with a smirk, which quickly fell.

Paige's chest rose and fell as she gave a melancholy sigh. She looked towards the sky as she spoke, hoping to, Piper assumed, get lost in the stars. "Kyle…" She whispered. Piper sat forward and gave Paige a sympathetic, but curious look. "It was Kyle's."

"Wow, it's beautiful." Piper replied. Moving closer to her sister had allowed her to get a closer glimpse of the ornament. "When did he gi-" She stopped asking her question abruptly as, once again, Paige began to get tearful. She knew the answr to her unasked question from the grief-stricken expression on Paige's face.

"He," She paused to steady herself, "He gave it to me before he… went away."

Piper saw Paige's cheeks glow a rosy shade of pink and her own eyes became watery. She knew all too well what it was like to lose a lover and apparently it was hitting Paige just as hard as it had hit her. "Can I see it?" She asked reproachfully.

Paige's gaze hardened as she held out her hand, "_Be careful_." She warned, "It's fragile."

"I know, Sweetie. So are you," Piper replied caringly.

"I am not!"

"Oh, trust me, you are. Drop you once and you fall to pieces. …But you can be mended just as easily." She gave Paige a loving nudge at the same time as she gave the snowglobe a shake.

"You watch _way_ too much Oprah!" Paige retorted.

"Quite possibly." Piper replied with a chuckle, "But you miss him, right?"

Paige's face, which had momentarily brightened, sank again. Her jaw clenched and she formed tight fists with both of her hands.

"I feel like it's the only thing I have left of him…" She screwed up her face in an attempt to stop herself crying, which was unsuccessful.

"Oh, honey," Piper was unsure of how to respond, but she placed her arm around Paige's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"I mean, when my parents died it was bad, but it started to get better! With Kyle it's so different!" Anger appeared to be accompanying Paige's grief now, as her clenched fist pounded the floor. "I can't get him out of my head. Maybe if he wasn't a whitelighter it would be different, but knowing that he's out there everyday is killing me! I can't even look at another man without feeling guilty, Piper. I loved him so much! And even though he isn't gone, I can't be with him and it is _killing me!_" When she stopped she broke down. All Piper could do was comfort her, rubbing her hand up and down Paige's back and brushing the hair from her face. Sometimes simple acts of love were more comforting than words.

"Paige," Piper eventually spoke. The advice she was going to give was from personal experience and she could only hope it would help Paige too. "Never give up."

"What?" Paige asked quietly.

"Never give up." Piper repeated. "On love. You were right. Kyle is out there everyday, and you should damn well be able to see him! I mean, you're both whitelighters, right? What's to stop you from seeing him? You _love _him! And I know damn well he loved you! You have to fight for him, Paige! You cannot give up on love!"

Paige raised her eyebrows in shock, but realization quickly washed over her. "You know what? You're right!" She replied, almost surprised at her own decision. "I am going to get him back!" She threw her arms around Piper's neck and they knelt in a sisterly hug for quite some time.

"Missy Paige?" Piper said quietly as both sisters pulled out of the hug. She placed her hands firmly on Paige's wrists and bowed her head forward slightly. A small, impish, but slightly timid smile played at her lips as Paige looked into her eyes. She inhaled a deep breath and shook her hair from her face, making certain Paige could see her clearly before saying the words she finally felt ready to say, "I love you."

Paige's smirk turned to a content grin as the words passed Piper's lips, but at the same time tears once again welled in her eyes. But this time they were tears of joy. She gave a small snort of loving laughter and bit down on her lip. "Love you too, Piper." She whispered.

In silence, both sisters rose to there feet, still clutching each other's arms. Piper could feel Paige's nerves go into overdrive as she began to rock on her feet. With a sideways glance and a sisterly smirk Piper let go of her sister's wrist and mischievously cocked an eyebrow.

"You _will _gethim back." She said, playfully pursing her lips and giving Paige's butt a quick slap. "Now let's get home!"

Paige gave Piper's arm a light-hearted smack in mock offence. "Thanks, Piper." She said, beaming, and the two disappeared in a cloud of swirling orbs. "For everything."

**-The End-**

Okily Doakily! I hope you all enjoyed that! I think I'll be posting a sequel around the time I next Update LOM, so look out for it! Also, if you enjoyed my writing and am not familiar with my work, you'll find it in my profile. Thanks for reading! All feedback is welcome!

Laur xXx


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